Teach me to Love You
by akiko-dono
Summary: Sequel to Tell me it's not a Dream. When Starfire comes to terms with Robin, he has to explore a part of his and Raven's relationship he didn't know existed. StarxRobxRae fic.


Ever since that night on the roof, Robin and Raven tried to spend as much time together as possible. If one were looking for it, you could see the signs of attraction in their life with their friends. No routines had been changed for the three caught in the middle of what no words could describe. It was simply between them. Between the birds.

Cyborg and Beast Boy continued to fight the epic Eggs vs. Tofu every morning, while Starfire was still sipping her mustard. But there was something wrong in the face of the Tameranian girl. When no one was looking, she'd reveal a dark mask in her hands and just look at it for a while. She didn't know what laid behind the mask, she only knew the surface. But she loved what was on the surface. Friend Raven…knew more than she about Robin. Raven knew how to care for him, better than _she_ could ever hope to do herself. Star knew this. But the hard part was convincing her heart that there was no chance, no margin of error in her seemingly correct calculations.

Robin and Raven adopted new lives at night. Robin would often come down and make two mugs of green tea, bringing one back to an expecting, hooded girl. As soon as the door closed, Raven would levitate the mugs onto her bedside table and remove his mask, the same way she had the night that started all this. Robin would return the favor by removing her hood. This small ritual they shared seemed to connect them as nothing else could. It was a reminder that they could be real with each other.

What happened behind closed doors varied from night to night. Sometimes they would simply talk, others Robin would just hold her. Once or twice they thought about crossing that ever-present line, deciding that wasn't where they were or what they wanted each time. Holding was enough. Being allowed to kiss was sufficient for their ages. Either way, both of the involved parties spent more time napping/meditating than ever before. Starfire knew what was going on, but couldn't bring herself to ruin his happiness. If he's found someone else, then so be it. She should congratulate him.

So after a few months of keeping silent, Starfire retired early, waiting to hear Robin's footsteps to his own room. Waiting at the door before she opened it, she hung her head. Maybe this wasn't right. Maybe she should simply forget it all…Robin didn't need more grief from her. Before she could reconsider, the door slid open to reveal Robin in a white tank top and black boxers. He looked at his unexpected guest, using her name as his question. "Starfire?"

"Hello, Robin. May I come in?"

He shrugged, closing the door behind her. "Yeah, sure I was just…you know, going for a walk I can't sleep—"

"You were going to speak with Friend Raven. I know this."

Faking ignorance while something close to fear grabbed his heart, he laughed nervously. "I'm not sure what you're talking about, Star—"

He stopped short when she revealed his mask. The one he'd lost that night with Raven, the night his life changed for the better. Taking it from her, he looked at it with the eye of a craftsman, trying to validate its authenticity, looking for some way out of what he knew was an inevitable conversation. He sighed. "Where did you get this?"

"I was flying to clear my head one night a few months ago, and it started to rain. When I was returning, however, I saw you and Raven…together. This flew in the wind, and I caught it. I had every intention of giving it back, you see, do not think I was hiding it from you, I just—"

"Star, it's okay. I know."

Her green eyes looked hopeful, no wistful, for a second as they locked with where his should be. She only saw the mask, and wondered again what lay beneath. "You do?"

"And I have to say this…you saw what happened. I'm sorry but I can't change the way I feel. You're a great person, Star, really you are, and there's someone for you out there—"

"Robin, please—"

"But it's not me. I love you like a sister, a friend—"

"Please don't do this, Robin—"

"And I can't help but feel that you deserve to know the truth so I can be fair to you—"

She screwed her eyes shut, pumping her fists downward as she spoke. "Robin, STOP!"

He did, knowing he was being harshly truthful, and also that these were consequences he would have to face longer than just today. This was Starfire. His surrogate baby sister. And he couldn't feel for her the way he felt for Raven…he just couldn't. He hated the pain he saw in her eyes. This wasn't how it was supposed to work out…she spoke again.

"Robin, I know that this is unfair of me, but I am afraid I have the green of jealousy about you and Friend Raven being lovers," Robin cringed at the term; he'd never gone so far as to put a label on what they shared, and that one didn't seem to fit, "But I am simply asking for one chance. If you cannot give me one chance, I will understand, and I will leave this to you and never speak about it again. However, I will not forgive myself if I don't do something now."

As the tears brimmed in her eyes, she did something Robin should've foreseen, but didn't. He was caught completely off-guard when Starfire's lips connected with his own, in a kiss that was wrong down to the very notion of it. He let her finish, though he didn't reciprocate, and as she pulled away, Star had never felt more embarrassed in her life. "I am sorry for that. I will leave you and Friend Raven to your happiness."

"Starfire…"

"And I will not speak about you to Cyborg and Beast Boy."

"Thanks, but—"

"Goodbye, Robin. See you when the morning rises."

He caught her hand. "Starfire, wait…I am sorry. I never meant for any of this to happen. Can we still be friends? Please?"

She simply nodded, leaving his mask on his bed and exiting the room. Robin lay back on his covers as the door slid closed, his heart heavier than it had ever been. What in the world was he going to tell Raven?

"You can start with the truth, Robin," she said as she phased through the ceiling. Her normally calming presence surprised him. Finding his words, he stammered out confusion.

"R-Raven? What are you doing here?"

She sat at the edge of his bed, levitating herself above it, cross-legged. "Well, when you didn't come, I guess I got worried, so I thought I'd come to you for a change. What's wrong?"

He laid back down, sending his mask to sudden flight. "Everything."

Raven caught it and noticed he was still wearing his mask. "Where did you get this?"

"From Starfire. She caught it when she was flying around T tower that night."

Raven knew exactly what night he was talking about; he didn't have to explain it to her. Raven bit her lip, realizing what it meant in a toneless voice. "So she knows. Big deal."

"You know that's not it."

"Of course she has a thing for you, Robin. Star's always been a little…okay a lot protective of you. She sees some part of herself in you, and that's attractive to her. You can't blame her for that."

"No, but I can blame her for making everything so damn difficult!"

"Actually…that's my fault."

He sat up, staring at her through his mask. "What?"

"If I had control of my feelings that night—"

"Don't start this—"

"And if I hadn't come back and just stayed in my room—"

"Raven, no!"

"You know I'm right, Robin. None of this would have happened had I not gone back to see you that night."

"Yeah, and I'd be miserable as hell, wouldn't you?"

She pondered the phrase, answering honestly. "How can you miss something you never had?"

"You can't. But you can want it more than life itself."

Always quick with remarks when it comes to desperate measures, Raven thought to herself. She looked at him and allowed herself a smirk, then removing his mask, touching the skin below his eyes. "Robin, I'm not sure how much longer we're going to work."

"And what does that mean? You want to end it?"

"What _is_ 'it'? What are we, Robin? Lovers?" He couldn't help but notice how she cringed at the time like he had.

"We don't have to be."

"Friends?"

"Always friends."

"I just need to know what I'm dealing with before I get any more involved in this. In us."

Robin looked at her eyes, seeing through her defenses, finding the gap in her walls that led him straight to her heart. "That's what we are. Us. Simply us. Two people who care about each other and aren't afraid to express it—"

"No matter what the cost may be. I can't help but blame myself for whatever happens because we're together, Robin…one thing I'll tell you is that I'm a glutton for punishment."

He raised her chin so she was forced to look at him. "None of this is your fault. You can't change the way Starfire feels. You can't change the way I feel. And you can't change the way you feel, because hiding it doesn't count."

She felt a tear streak down her face, greeting his hand on her cheek. "Robin, I don't know how to do this."

"Me neither."

"We're still exactly where we were months ago."

"I'm okay with that."

"Well I'm not! You may be able to just show that you care for me but you…you have no idea how deep my feelings go. I've never seen something like this in myself…" she tapered off, unsure of how to finish her sentence.

They sat in irresolute silence, trying to think of what to say to make everything all right again; the way things had been for months now. Robin couldn't think of going back to stealing glances at her when he could, dreaming about holding her close…not when he'd had the real thing. No, he wouldn't give up this easily, not over something as stupid as circumstances they couldn't control. If they couldn't control it by themselves, they'd have to figure out a way to do it together. The only alternative was separating whatever they had, and that was unacceptable. He reached for her gently, taking great care in the kiss they shared, trying to show her…just something he couldn't say in words, not even knowing what it was. All he knew was that she was holding back tears and something caught in his throat, making it harder to breathe and speak. The kiss died a natural death, but not before Robin cradled her head in his palms, looking her in the eyes.

"Raven, I…I love you. You know that, don't you?"

She nodded quickly, shaking her head 'no' when she spoke, her voice a near silent murmur. "I don't know how to love."

"That's okay, Raven. We'll figure this out…I promise you."

"You promise?"

"Cross my heart," he made the motion on his chest and smirked a little, bringing some of the gleam in his eyes to rest in hers. She nodded again. "Okay."

And they sat there, certain of nothing and confused about everything. But a small voice inside Raven's head kept telling her, no matter what she thought would happen…everything would work out in the end. Because things like them…forgiving love like his…didn't happen every day. And they both knew that.

Starfire did, too.

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Well, hope it was angsty enough to get a little bit of reaction from some of you, but also sweet enough to get a few…not my best work by far, but I like it. If you don't like it, flame away, I really don't care because if you don't, then you're obviously not a RobxRae shipper and that means you are very sadly disillusioned, my friend…j/k. Honestly, I just want reviews! I'll take any that I can get!

And maybe if you people are nice, you'll get another chapter. :D

— akiko-dono


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